Police Seize 150 Fake Credit Cards, IDs in Counterfeit Bust

Corona, CA – A counterfeit credit card-making operation was found in Corona, resulting in the arrests of two men and the seizure of equipment and numerous fake IDs and credit cards, police announced Wednesday.

Christopher Gude, 22, of Corona, and Kareem Thompson, 24, of Brooklyn, New York, were arrested on Saturday, the Manhattan Beach Police Department reported.

In May, Manhattan Beach detectives "developed information regarding a suspect making counterfeit credit cards," according to a MBPD statement. "The cards were being used to fraudulently purchase merchandise and gifts from stores in Manhattan Beach and other cities in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties."

MBPD investigators served a search warrant on Saturday in Corona and recovered items that included a laptop computer; an "encoder" for encoding stolen numbers onto credit/gift cards; and an embosser for printing names and raised numbers on cards.

They also seized about 150 counterfeit credit cards, numerous counterfeit IDs and merchandise purchased with the counterfeit cards, according to the MBPD.

– By City News Service. Image via Shutterstock.